Heater for multiple effect evaporators



April 26, 1955 V w. E. HESLER 2,707,022 HEATER FOR MULTIPLE EFFECT EVAPORATORS Filed Jan. 15. 1951 l u "h r "H I I l2 7 I2 46 29 INVENTOR.

29 Warren E. Heslas' 2,707,022 HEATER FOR MULTIPLE EFFECT EVAPORATORS Warren E. Hesler, Great Neck, N. Y., assignor to Whiting Corporation, Harvey, Ill., a corporation of Illinois Application January 15, 1951, Serial No. 206,009

3 Claims. (Cl. 159-27) My invention is directed to an improved liquid heater for use with a plurality of evaporator bodies connected in series.

Conventionally each evaporator body is provided with a cylindrical heater containing a bundle of tubes for conducting the liquid to be heated through the heater and supplied with heat through the medium of steam or other condensable vapor. Despite the use of good insulation, an appreciably quantity of heat escapes from the external walls of these heaters. In addition, they occupy considerable space which is frequently made available only with great difiiculty.

One of the princ'pal objects of my invention is to provide a single heater adapted for serving a plurality of evaporators, the said heater being more compact than the conventional cylindrical type heaters and having a reduced external surface area from which heat may be dissipated.

or purposes of illustration, I have elected to disclose my invention as applied to a but as subsequently explained, similar heaters suitable three or more evaporator bodies may be constructed wlthm the teachings of my invention.

Evaporator bodies 1010 of conventional design are supported in elevated position on a suitable frame 11 d are provided with inverted cone-shaped bottoms 1212 and access doors 13-13. Bodies 1010 are sealed by domes 14-14, the dome 14 having a vapor outlet 16, and the dome 14' having a vapor outlet 17. The vapor outlet 17 is connected by a conduit 18 with a condenser 19 conventional design.

An upright cylindrical heater shell 21 is secured near its upper end to the frame 11 and is sealed at each end by end members 22. An upright imperforate partition 23 is sealed within the shell 21 and divides the interior of the shell into a first chamber 24 and a second chamber 26. Transverse tube plates 27 are sealed transversely Within the shell 21, extending through the partition 23 and are spaced from the ends 22, as well as from each other, thus defining in each of the chambers 24 and 26 an upper liquid zone 28 and a lower liquid zone 29 separated by a steam zone 31. A plurality of tubes 32 are provided in each of the chambers 24 and 26, extending through the tube plates 27 and interconnecting the upper and lower liquid zones 28 and 29.

The upper liquid zone 28 of the chamber 24 communicates with the evaporator body 10 through a conduit 33 and the upper liquid zone of the chamber 26 with the evaporator 10 through a conduit 34. inlet 36 is providedfor the lower liquid zone 29 of the chamber 24. Each of the steam zones 31 is with a vapor inlet 37 near the upper tube plate 27, a condensate outlet 38 near the lower tube plate 27, and a non-condensable gas outlet 39 above the condensate outlets 38. Vapor from the vapor outlet 16 on the evaporator 10 is conveyed by a pipe 41 to the steam inlet 37 for the chamber 26. A pipe 42 conveys liquid from the evaporator body 10 to the lower liquid zone 29 of the chamber 26. Liquid is discharged from the second evaporator body 10' through a pipe 43 communicating with a distributing valve 44 adapted to discharge liquid into the lower liquid zone 29 of the chamber 26 double effect evaporator,

communicates with extends upwardly through the conical he evaporator body 110 and into the evaporator body, terminating some distance above the mouth of the pipe 43.

in operation, the liquid to be evaporated, such as milk, is introduced into the system through the inlet 36, filling the lower liquid zone 29 I upwardly through the pipes 32 into the upper liquid 31 is vented through the gas outlet occurs in the evaporator centrated liquid b lower liquid zone of the liquid not recycled through the conduit 46 is disthrough the pump 48. In operation there should be a constant flow of liquid through the conduits 43 and 46, this being blocked by the valve 44 only when it is desired to drain the system completely.

The external walls of the shell 21 are provided with insulation, but the partition 23, which divides the shell 21 into the chambers 24 and 26, is not insulated. Thus, a certain amount of heat can pass through the partition quired by separate cylindrical heaters.

It 1s not necessary that the partition 23 divide the heater into only two obvious that economy can be effected by combining the two evaporators 10 and 10 into a single body separated by a common partition or partitions.

Utilization this portion of the system is often greater than that of the precedmg stages.

There are several vapor due to pressure differential, or the similar transfer between these stages of non-condensable gases which may be metered through a small orifice.

From the foregoing it is apparent that my heater will provide the same heating capacity as separate corresponding heaters, but that the efiiciency from a fuel consumption standpoint will be greater. By employing less material, the cost of my heater, as well as the cost of the supporting structure, will be reduced.

In addition the cost of maintenance is reduced since the opening of a single cover exposes the tubes of both heaters for mechanical cleaning where in certain industries, such as milk concentration, must be performed daily.

I claim:

1. A heater for use with two evaporator bodies in series comprising an upright cylindrical shell having end closures, an upright imperforate partition in the shell sealed at its sides and ends to the shell and closures respectively and defining isolated first and second chambers side by side, transverse plates sealed in the shell spaced from each other and from said closures defining in each of said chambers an upper liquid zone and a lower liquid zone separated by an intewening vapor zone, a plurality of tubes in each of the chambers interconnecting the respective upper and lower liquid zones thereof and extending through the vapor zone of said chamber, a vapor inlet and a liquid outlet for each vapor zone, a liquid inlet for each of the lower liquid zones, and a liquid outlet for each of the upper liquid zones, said liquid inlets and outlets cooperating with the tubes extending through the respective chambers to define wholly separate liquid flow paths on opposite sides of said upright partition.

2. A heater for multiple effect evaporators and the like comprising an upright generally cylindrical shell, upper and lower covers sealing the ends of the shell, an upright imperforate partition extending throughout the shell generally parallel to the major axis thereof, sealed to the shell wall and to said upper and lower covers and defining therewith a pair of chambers, spaced transverse plates in the shell dividing said chambers into four end liquid zones separated by two intermediate vapor zones, each vapor zone having a vapor inlet and a condensate outlet, a plurality of tubes in each of the vapor zones interconnecting the upper and lower liquid zones of each chamber, a liquid inlet for each of the lower liquid zones and a liquid outlet for each of the upper liquid zones, one of said liquid inlets and one of said liquid outlets cooperating with the tubes interconnecting the upper and lower liquid zones containing said liquid inlet and liquid outlet to define a continuous path of liquid flow through one chamber wholly independent of a similar path of liquid fiow through the other chamber.

3. A heater comprising an elongated hollow shell, end members sealing the ends of the shell, an imperforate partition extending through the shell generally parallel to the longer dimension of the shell sealed to the shell wall and end members and dividing the shell into independent side by side chambers, spaced transverse plates in the shell sealed to the shell wall dividing each of said chambers into two opposite end liquid zones separated by a single heating vapor zone, separate tubes extending through each of said heating vapor zones and interconnecting the liquid end zones of the chamber on the corresponding side of said partition, a vapor inlet and a condensate outlet for each vapor zone, and a liquid port in each of the liquid zones, said ports of the liquid zones on each side of said partition cooperating with the corresponding tubes to define an independent path of liquid flow through the shell.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 

1. A HEATER FOR USE WITH TWO EVAPORATOR BODIES IN SERIES COMPRISING AN UPRIGHT CYLINDRICAL SHELL HAVING END CLOSURES, AN UPRIGHT IMPERFORATE PARTITION IN THE SHELL SEALED AT ITS SIDES AND ENDS TO THE SHELL AND CLOSURES RESPECTIVELY AND DEFINING ISOLATED FIRST AND SECOND CHAMBERS SIDE BY SIDE, TRANSVERSE PLATES SEALED IN THE SHELL SPACED FROM EACH OTHER AND FROM SAID CLOSURES DEFINING IN EACH OF SAID CHAMBERS AN UPPER LIQUID ZONE AND A LOWER LIQUID ZONE SEPARATED BY AN INTERVENING VAPOR ZONE, A PLURALITY OF TUBES IN EACH OF THE CHAMBERS INTERCONNECTING THE RESPECTIVE UPPER AND LOWER LIQUID ZONES THEREOF AND EXTENDING THROUGH THE VAPOR ZONE OF SAID CHAMBER, A VAPOR INLET AND A LIQUID OUTLET FOR EACH VAPOR ZONE, A LIQUID INLET FOR EACH OF THE LOWER LIQUID ZONES, AND A LIQUID OUTLET FOR EACH OF THE UPPER LIQUID ZONES, SAID LIQUID INLETS AND OUTLETS COOPERATING WITH THE TUBES EXTENDING THROUGH THE RESPECTIVE CHAMBERS TO DEFINE WHOLLY SEPARATE LIQUID FLOW PATHS ON OPPOSITE SIDES OF SAID UPRIGHT PARTITION. 